


Beyond The Welcome Mat

by Swashbuckler



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Character Study, Domestic, Gen, Shoes, The Rogues (DCU) As Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 10:44:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11439210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swashbuckler/pseuds/Swashbuckler
Summary: You can tell a lot about someone by their shoes.





	Beyond The Welcome Mat

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally posted my other account and has now been moved here! Sorry for the confusion! ^^;

Safehouses come and go, however some things never change. 

For instance, the hallway of each new hideout will vary from place to place depending on the architecture of the house or apartment the Rogues happen to find themselves in, but it still stands that, wherever the entrance to their safehouse may be, and in whatever form it might take, on the other side of the door the house rule applies.

And that rule is: no shoes in the house. 

It’s possibly the only of the Rogues’ Code that every Rogue unanimously keeps without fail whether their latest hideout is a run-down dump or in the lap of luxury. Sometimes the shoes are stored on tucked into a convenient cubby or set aside on a spare strip of carpet by the mat, but, without fail, everyone leaves their shoes by the door in a neat line when they come home. 

It’s not hard to tell which shoes fit which Rogue. 

Len’s boots are worn but well-cared for. The black leather is thick and sturdy and the grip beneath is deep: a necessity to stop himself falling victim to his own slippery tirade of ice when fighting the Flash. Inside his boots, unknown to everyone - at least that’s what they’ll all swear on pain of death - there is a thick lining of sheep’s wool. No one likes cold toes.

Mick’s boots are never clean like his partner’s. Caked in a permanent layer of dust, Mick’s heavy work boots are _filthy_. The brown toes are charred black and the leather has twisted and melted in places. They’re smudged with oil and grease. Mick’s boots are as battle-scarred as he is. That’s why he loves them. 

Lisa’s heels are studded with gold; she enjoys managing her STAR Labs-ordained alias even more than her brother with his cold puns. The stiletto spikes are like needles, gleaming with a golden finish. On a peg above the dutiful line of shoes, hidden beneath a layer of coats, hang a pair of ice skates by their laces - their knife-like blades a sleek silver to accompany and contrast her golden persona. Her footwear will always be a deadly reflection of herself. 

Mark’s boots are dull. They scream of lack of care and of a practical necessity over anything stylish. This has its uses, however. Through well-worn soles comes a lack of resistance when channelling his beloved lightning. He has no desire to earth that power by grounding himself, he wants to let it free. He has no need of a weather wand when he himself is a lightning rod.

Shawna’s fond of a pair of chunky heels in a soft navy suede; comfortable and deceptively civilian, they work well when they’re not on a job, but even with her powers, it’s important to remember that running in heels is not advisable even when you’re not up against the fastest man alive. So an alternative is required for work. Suspended next to Lisa’s ice skates, Shawna’s found her love in a pair of roller blades - solid grey plastic with yellow accents. She’s never going to be as fast as the Flash, sure, but he still has to catch her first. 

Hartley abandoned his tall lace up boots after they repeatedly proved impractical, if for no other reason than that many laces to tie before a heist proved irritating. The rebellious aestheticism has served its purpose for his first outing as the Pied Piper but now he’s concluded that a costume is not going to be his defining feature as a Rogue; he can leave that to the others with flashier gimmicks. His new boots are, admittedly, dark green to match his gauntlets, but they’re good for running in. He has a multitool hidden in the thick sole of one and a sonic device in the other, just in case. He likes to be prepared. 

James Jesse’s shoes are surprisingly understated, but only by his standard. While his extensive time in Iron Heights in no way softened his volatile and eccentric personality, his vibrant style seems to have matured to something at least marginally less horrifying than what it once was. James’ shoes are sleek dress shoes, polished to perfection. There is a splash of colour to them, of course: traces of purples and greens and burnished golds dance beneath the surface of the dark, patent leather. They shine like an oil slick. The comparison fits him a little too well. 

Axel’s boots are - comparably - a travesty. They match the style of Len’s combat boots but the leather is scuffed a patchy grey. His laces are wild and tangled visually beyond restoration, but somehow he still manages to get them on his feet. The knots are splattered with colour. Paint and gunpowder, dust and glitter are all buried in the tread of the boots. He takes the mess wherever he goes proudly and collects more like chaotic trophies. 

Everyone’s shoes are different and don’t fit with any of the others, but - whether they’re kept tidy on a rack or organised into a line - everyone still has their place just beyond the cheesy "welcome" mat Len insists on christening every new hideout with (even the warehouse units). 

And why wouldn’t they?

It’s home.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this domestic image of just this simple evidence of the Rogues all together as a family through their shoes and ran with it as a character study~
> 
> For anyone interested, I envisioned James' shoes like this: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/31806741100132946/


End file.
